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Demonstrate Your Knowledge of Best Practices

APMP-Foundation Level Certification is the entry level for the APMP Certification Program. All candidates must begin at this level.

Why should I pursue Foundation Certification?

To demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of best practices for proposal and bid management

To demonstrate your commitment to your own professional development in the industry

To prepare yourself for additional responsibility and more complex assignments

To advance to the sweet spot of APMP’s Certification Program ‒ Practitioner

What are the requirements for Foundation Certification?

Candidates for Foundation should have at least 1 year of experience in a bid and proposals environment; this experience does not have to be continuous. Time spent working or supporting sales and marketing also counts.

Your one-year minimum experience working in a bid and proposals related environment may be verified with a reference you choose. This is doe on a sample basis. Your reference may not be checked.

Pass a 1-hour open-book multiple-choice exam that demonstrates knowledge and understanding of best practices.

Candidates do not have to be a member of APMP to take the exam, but the cost for non-member candidates is more than the cost of membership.

APMP Foundation Level Exam

The Foundation exam tests your knowledge of proposal and bid management best practices in 22 entry and early career competencies. The exam is a 75 questions, multiple choice, pass-fail, and open-book exam. The exam lasts one hour (60 minutes). If you fail you may have to wait six months to register for and retake the exam. Appeals are handled on an individual case basis (see What Happens if I Fail ).

APMP has updated the APMP Foundation Certification program

The goals of this update were twofold:

Examine certification competencies and update them to reflect new trends. Three new competencies were added: Persuasive Writing, Graphics and Action Captions, and Virtual Team Management.

Create a more universal language that reflects the diversity of our profession. The new APMP Glossary defines key terms as well as industry- or region-specific variants. This new, standard terminology makes APMP more accessible to proposal professionals worldwide.

APMP Foundation Level Exam Options

You may take the exam by choosing one of these options:

Option 1: Online—You may study on your own and then take the exams online via the APM Group website. The APM Group is the organization that administers the Certification exam and assessment processes for APMP. The registration website will give you the choice of choosing the new exam or the earlier exam.

APMP Foundation Level Study Options

You may study for the APMP’s Foundation Level exam by following as many of these recommended study aids that you are comfortable with.

Book Study—Purchase APMP’s Foundation Study Guide which is the primary Certification study guide for Foundation Level Certification. The guide provide the answers to all the questions tested on the the Foundation exam. The APMP Foundation Study Guide is available through the APMP Store.

Online—Participate in any of the following self-paced e-learning (available 24/7) or periodic webinars offered by these APMP ATOs.

Study APMP’s Glossary of Terms which provides a glossary of terms used in Foundation level exam. It is available through the APMP Store. The new APMP Glossary provides a significant head start in preparing to take the new APMP Foundation Exam.

Take a Practice Exam – This twenty-five question sample exam shows you the format and context of the questions. The sample questions are based on new Foundation exam

Register for Foundation Certification

Click here to register and pay for the APMP-Foundation™ Level Examination.Choose the 2015 exam option.

This syllabus provides the basis for APMP's Certification Program for Proposal and Bid managers. This syllabus identifies competencies that are tested or assessed at each of the three APMP certification levels.